Alex & Ani's Chakra Collection Will Bring You All The Positive Energy For Retrograde Season

Obviously I’m not an astrologer by any means, but you don’t have to be a space scientist to know whatever’s going on in the sky right now isn’t exactly working to my or youradvantage. You have Mercury in retrograde on Thursday, July 26, a full moon total lunar eclipse on Friday, July 27, and if those two weren’t already quite the pair, Mars has been messing with you since June 26 and isn’t scheduled to lay off until late August. There’s just a lot of bad mojo in the atmosphere right now, but Alex and Ani’s new Chakra collection might be worth browsing through because this jewelry line is so much more than pretty bangles: Each bracelet is designed with the intention to nourish all the positive energy you have inside of you, and trust me, you’re going to need that right now.

In case all that astrological jargon flew over your head just now, this is my understanding of what’s going on with the planets at the moment: As of 1:02 a.m. on Thursday, July 26, Mercury will be in retrograde, hanging out in Leo. Basically, that means the planet has slowed down its orbit, but from Earth’s perspective, it looks like the planet is actually rotating backward. So now you might be thinking, "OK, Mercury’s taking a moment to chill — where’s the fire?" Well, when Mercury is in Leo, you tend to get a bit more chatty, a little more expressive, and maybe even a tad hot-headed. In other words, if you’re looking to start a fight today, Mercury in Leo could be to blame.

No matter what emotions retrograde season stirs up, Alex and Ani’s Chakra collection can help you stay grounded through it all.

Unless you’re an avid yogi, or are familiar with Sanskrit vocabulary, you might not even know what a chakra is, so let’s start there. Per The Chopra Center’s definition, the Sanskrit chakra can literally be translated to mean “wheel or disk,” and to yogis and those who follow Ayurvedic traditions, "chakra" refers to the “wheels of energy throughout the body.” There are seven chakras in total: root, sacral, solar, heart, throat, third eye, and crown — and each are represented in Alex and Ani’s new collection.

Yoga has expanded from a spiritual practice to a widespread culture, so when Elite Daily received a press release for Alex and Ani’s new line of chakra-inspired bangles, my interest was immediately piqued. Was this collection designed exclusively for yogis? Or could anyone proudly bare a chakra and reap its benefits? To find out, I reached out to Alex and Ani's director of authentic messaging and intent, Ani Ferlise, who was all too eager to break down the inspiration behind the brand's new collection.

The thought process behind the collection, Ferlise tells Elite Daily over email, was to “educate about empowerment, healing, and spirituality,” by making these things accessible and practical for everyone in the form of a bangle you can slip on daily, or as-needed. “Chakras impact us on a physical, mental, and vibrational level and are the source of our spiritual power,” Ferlise says. “When life events happen, our chakras can become overactive or under-active, which can make you feel off-center on every level.” So in order to realign all seven chakras and get that positive energy flowing, you can wear the Alex and Ani bangle(s) representing a particular chakra that needs nourishment.

The collection features seven bangles, each representing its own chakra to provide you with positive energy and stability when you need it most.

Before Alex and Ani’s latest launch, I’d only heard of the heart, third eye, and crown chakras from my at-home yoga practice videos by Yoga With Adriene. The brand could have easily chosen just one of the most commonly mentioned chakras to roll with, but Ferlise made it very clear that all seven chakras are significant, and you really can’t achieve balance if one chakra isn’t being nourished. So now that you know what a chakra is, and how many there are, let’s dive into what each of the seven stands for in terms of your body’s energy levels.

First, there’s the root chakra, and according to Ferlise, this one is located at the end of your spine and tailbone. “It’s the root of your entire chakra system,” she tells Elite Daily, adding that its embodying love, power, and energy is believed to “help ground you to the earth to feel at home, sturdy, and present.” So this bangle might come in handy during those moments when you simply feel out of your element or comfort zone.

Next comes the sacral chakra which, Ferlise explains, is found right below your navel, aka “the dwelling place of self.” This, Ferlise says, is where your emotions and creativity are born, where sexuality and exploration are ignited. Sounds pretty steamy, huh? So the next time you’re feeling unstimulated, or curious to explore the physical world, this is the chakra for you.

The solar plexus chakra can be found right at the navel, so you know the phrase, “listen to your gut”? What you could say instead is, "listen to your solar plexus chakra." It’s basically where your personal power and identity exists, and according to Ferlise, it's the “key to confidence, personality, sovereignty, opinions, and beliefs.” Now, the heart chakra is sort of similar, in that it's the focal point of love, beauty, compassion — your ability to feel and connect on a deeper level.

Personally, I’d consider the throat, third eye, and crown chakras to be the big powerhouses of the seven (though I’m no expert, this is just my opinion). I say this because these chakras play an important role in how you connect with and respond to the universe, according to Ferlise. The throat chakra, for example, is obviously located in your throat and, Ferlise tells me, can help you communicate your emotions more clearly and truthfully — something I, myself, deal with on a daily basis, as many people do. The third eye chakra, Ferlise continues, is located between your brows and is all about the brain: your intuition, dreams, and perception. The crown chakra, on the other hand, embodies wisdom and encourages you to explore something bigger than yourself.

Regardless of whether or not you believe in astrology, there’s really no denying your emotions work in mysterious ways, and who couldn’t benefit from a little more balance, right? Alex and Ani's Chakra collection is currently available online, but keep in mind, these bangles are meant to be worn year-round, no matter what the planets are up to. “Chakras can be balanced by simply turning your attention to it, and these symbols are a great way to give your chakras the TLC they need,” Ferlise tells Elite Daily. So listen to your body’s energies, and figure out which of yours need to be nourished. But even if you don’t believe in the power of these bangles, you can't deny they still make for a gorgeous accessory.